You’re a very special person. (Just ask your mom.) But how many of you have had a day named in your honor?

The ACFE Austin Chapter arranged that honor for the ACFE’s president emeritus as the mayor of Austin, Texas, Steve Adler, proclaimed March 31, 2018, “James D. Ratley Day.” Chapter officers presented a framed proclamation (see below) from the mayor to Ratley on the front porch of the historic Gregor Building at the ACFE Headquarters.

“I am thrilled to have had a day named in my honor,” says Ratley. “But the overwhelming honor is that the wonderful people of the Austin Chapter were thoughtful enough to arrange for it to happen.”

On March 6, the ACFE employees also thanked Ratley during an in-house reception for his leadership, experience, wisdom and his hundreds of Texas-toned stories. “We would not have the ACFE without Jim Ratley. Period,” said Dr. Joseph T. Wells, CFE, CPA, founder and Chairman of the ACFE. (See
ACFE employees honor Jim Ratley for his seminal role.)

“After Jim announced at a chapter meeting that he was retiring, one of our members, Dr. Carolyn Conn, CFE, CPA, suggested that the Austin Chapter do something special such as get a proclamation from Mayor Steve Adler to honor Jim,” says Austin Chapter President Cecily Raiborn, Ph.D., CFE, CPA, CMA. “The entire group of Austin Chapter officers and board thought that was a wonderful idea and we were off to the races.”

The overwhelming honor is that the wonderful people of the Austin Chapter were thoughtful enough to arrange for it to happen.

Raiborn says they couldn’t possibly condense Ratley’s life to “four whereas statements,” so they had to delete many of his achievements and traits.

“He was a guest speaker in my Fraud Examination class at St. Edward’s a few years ago,” says Conn. (She’s now a clinical assistant professor at Texas State University.) “The students and I were all impressed when he wrote his email address on the board and urged the students to write to him if they ever had a question about any topic related to fraud examination.”

“Austin is fortunate to have the ACFE headquartered here,” says Austin Chapter Treasurer Billy Petty, CFE. “On more than one occasion Jim Ratley took time out of his schedule to meet with me as well as other CFEs to give us his perspective and insights about projects and cases on which we were working. Having Jim so available did give Austin an enhanced benefit relative to other cities and makes Austin’s proclamation fitting of its special relationship with the ACFE.”

“The Austin Chapter wishes Jim a well-deserved retirement,” says Raiborn in an ACFE Chapter News article. “We all know that, while he is now emeritus at the ACFE, he will be an ever-present part of our organization. And, as he pilots his plane from here to there, he will likely continue to keep an eagle’s watch for those who might try to engage in wrongful activities. Stepping away from the controls at the ACFE Headquarters won’t change Jim’s life-long pursuit of the triumph of right over wrong.”

Proclamation from Austin, Texas, mayor

Be it known that
Whereas,
Mr. James D. Ratley is the co-founder, President, and CEO of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the premier global anti-fraud organization; and
Whereas,
Mr. Ratley was named as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting; and
Whereas,
Mr. Ratley has been certified as a Master Peace Officer by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education; and
Whereas,
Mr. Ratley has dedicated his career to detecting and deterring fraud as well as protecting citizens from, and educating individuals about, fraud;
Now, Therefore,
I, Steve Adler, Mayor of the City of Austin, Texas,
do hereby proclaim

March 31th, 2018
as
James D. Ratley Day
in Austin.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto
set my hand and caused the seal of the City
of Austin to be affixed this 10th Day of
January in the Year Two Thousand Eighteen

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